Pure Imagination
by Anne-girl1
Summary: a group of kids go travel through time to see Willy Wonka. Here it is...the sixth? sequel of Scope for Imagination...R/R
1. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
"Ah! There's nothing like a Friday," I sighed as I let my backpack slide off my shoulders and onto my bedroom floor. I took off my headphones and went to sit down when I heard the click of the mailbox. I got up and ran down the stairs, and, true-to-form, tripped and went head over heels down the stairs into blackness.  
  
I squinted into the sunlight. Oo, yay, it was happening again! Another adventure! I got up and looked around. I was wearing a school uniform of navy blue and white underneath a blue blazer and a leather bag was hung on my shoulder. I had navy knee-highs and black buckled shoes.  
  
"What the heck.? What kind of adventure is this? Private school?" I muttered in disbelief and annoyance. I was standing on a sidewalk in front of a school in the middle of some town back in, say, the early 50's. The town was busy and it looked like school had just gotten out because kids were pouring out of the school doorways. I was all of a sudden in a cloud of school uniforms and was pushed and shoved along the sidewalk.  
  
I made my way to the side and leaned against a building. Brushing the hair out of my face and turning around, I saw the words Macmillan's Candy Shop.  
  
"Oh great," I said relieved and reached in my pockets for money, "I'm starving."  
  
I must've been in England or something because I took out unfamiliar coins. Shrugging, I pulled open the door, hearing a little bell ring.  
  
It was surprising that I heard the bell at all because when I walked inside the shop I came to the end of a long line of school children. They were crowding, anxious to get their hands on anything sweet. The owner looked very busy, rushing here and there. The ring of the cash register went off every five seconds.  
  
Taking a deep breath, I pushed my way through the crowd to the counter. My stomach grumbled and I quickly searched for a bag of M&M's. But there were no M&M's.  
  
My mouth dropped. The entire wall behind the counter was piled high with.WONKA bars? My eyebrows raised and it took a few seconds to realize that the storeowner was shouting at me.  
  
"Excuse me!"  
  
I shook my head and looked up at the man. He was wearing an apron and an exasperated look was on his face.  
  
"Are you going to buy anything?"  
  
"Uh, yes, could I have one of those?" I pointed eagerly to one of the Wonka bars. He handed me one. I dumped all the coins I had onto the counter. Annoyed, the man took two and shoved the rest back. I gave a weak smile and slid out of the shop.  
  
I ran around the corner and found an alley. Excited, I dramatically ripped open the Wonka wrappings. Because, as it was another adventure, it would only make sense to find.  
  
.no golden ticket.  
  
"What?!" I gasped. I looked around rather frightened.  
  
"What am I supposed to do now?" I whispered to myself, as there was nothing else to do to comfort myself, "It must be winter because I just happened to notice I can see my breath."  
  
I had finally caught my bearings after my excitement and sudden knockdown. I suddenly shivered in my blazer.  
  
"And it's gonna be dark soon. Where do I go? And hey.where's the rest of the team?"  
  
I suddenly realized I wasn't supposed to be doing this alone. Where were my companions? Where were Sara, Mell and Mike? They were supposed to be here too. I felt a lump in my throat and leaned against the wall. Slowly, I sank to the ground and closed my eyes.  
  
It must've been hours later. My neck was stiff. My arms were still wrapped around my knees and my head was leaning on them. It was very cold and when I opened my eyes, it was dark. I pulled out my watch. 4:30. Great, just great.  
  
I pulled myself up, massaging my neck and crept silently out of the alley. The street was quiet and empty. I started walking down the road, thinking pessimistic thoughts. Were our fantasies supposed to be dark and scary and lonely and empty?  
  
About fifteen minutes later, I came to a wrought-iron gate. I gasped and pressed my face in between the bars in amazement. It was a huge factory and on one tall tower it had the letters: WONKA. The electric lights shone brightly in the early dawn. I sighed, if only.  
  
"Oh, why didn't I get a golden ticket?" I stomped and spun around angrily to walk no where in particular. I crashed into someone really tall and muttered a tiny "sorry" when the 'someone' grabbed my sleeve.  
  
I was pulled down the sidewalk a little bit. Scared out of my mind, I looked into the face of.  
  
"Hey, you're M-Mr.-  
  
"Mr. Slugworth, yes, very good," he said and let go of me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something shiny.  
  
"Hold out your hand." I did as I was told. He shoved a golden ticket into my palm, much to my shock.  
  
"Bu-but h-how."  
  
"After encountering three other applicants, I have chosen you to be part of this plan. You know very well about the golden tickets in the Wonka bars and the five winners, correct?" He spoke very fast.  
  
"Y-yeah-  
  
"That has changed. There are now nine applicants. Read the ticket and be there. Mr. Wonka will show you his secret formula to the Ever-lasting Gobstoppers. When he gets that out to the public, he will make millions and my company will go bankrupt. All you need to do is to get the recipe and get it to me. Your reward will be quite plentiful." He opened a briefcase he carried. It was filled with thousands of dollars. I looked down and back up, gulping.  
  
"Good luck," he said and walked swiftly away, disappearing around the corner. I exhaled with relief. Now it starts. I looked at the ticket. The date was February 1st. Checking my watch, I realized that was today. The tour began at ten. Sitting down, having a long time to wait, I put the golden ticket in my pocket, grinning mysteriously. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
"Ann! Wake up! ANN!" I was being shaken awake. I squinted up and looked into finally a familiar face.  
  
"Mell!" I gasped and hugged her.  
  
"I have never been so happy to see you guys!" I stood up, seeing Sara and Mike behind Mell. I looked them over. Mell was wearing black pants and a grey overcoat.  
  
"Where did you end up?" I asked her.  
  
"I'm not sure actually," Mell scratched her head, "I'm not too crazy about this outfit.  
  
When I first got here it was really scary 'cause I couldn't find you guys and then I met up with this guy who gave me a golden ticket and told me something about Everlasting Gobstoppers-  
  
"Me too!" I interrupted, "Mr. Slugworth!"  
  
"Yeah, that was it. He is one. scary. guy."  
  
"Tell me about it," Sara cut in. She was wearing worn jeans and an old red sweater.  
  
"What were you, Charlie Bucket's sister or something?"  
  
"Close, I think. I dunno. It was like Mell's experience. Mr. Slugworth came up and shoved me into an alley, telling me he'd get me a huge reward for a recipe. I just got here. I got lost on the way, but I met up with Mike, luckily."  
  
"How about you Mike?" I asked him, who hadn't said anything yet. He was wearing the same type of uniform I was with navy pants and navy sweater with the blazer.  
  
"I appeared inside some school. The Slugworth guy gave a golden ticket and told me to get down here."  
  
"You were right near me!" I said, feeling stupid.  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Mell got out her ticket, "Let's get to the gate!" The four of us pushed our way through the crowds that had gathered since I fell asleep by the sidewalk. By the time we made it to the wrought iron bars, a clock was chiming ten o'clock. The crowds quieted and Sara, Mell, Mike and I pressed our faces to the bars waiting for the famous Mr. Wonka to come through the front door of the factory.  
  
Everyone was silent. Someone pushed me out of the way to get in front.  
  
"Hey!" I said, turning to the person. They looked at me. It was Veruca Salt. I raised me eyebrows.  
  
"Excuse me, I have a golden ticket," she said, talking down her nose at me.  
  
"Excuse me, so do I," I said, making a face and pushed her away from my spot. She pushed me back. But we stopped fighting when the front door creaked open. A man wearing purple coattails and using a cane walked rigidly down the steps.  
  
The crowds waited with bated breath as the man slowly made his way down the red carpet that extended from the door to the gate. Getting impatient, I shifted my weight, bumping into Veruca. She gave me a look and brought her attention back to Mr. Wonka.  
  
He went ¾ of the way and left his cane stuck in the ground and starting falling forward into a somersault, landing on his feet with a little leap. Everyone cheered and he smiled at us. The gates slowly opened.  
  
"Would the children with the tickets please step forward?" Mr. Wonka smiled. Veruca pushed me away and walked through first.  
  
"Veruca Salt, sir," she said sweetly, holding up the ticket. Mr. Wonka nodded.  
  
"And that's a lovely fir coat, Veruca," he said.  
  
"I have three others at home," she said as she walked past him. Her father walked in next, a big man looking very nervous and irritable. Not that I'd blame him. Sara walked in next.  
  
"Sara Brandt, Mr. Wonka," she smiled, handing him the ticket.  
  
"Lovely to meet you Miss Brandt," he said and waved her on. I waited, watching Violet Beauregarde and her father walk through the gate. And then Mike TeeVee and his mother. And then Charlie Bucket and his grandpa.  
  
Mike went after them. Mr. Wonka patted him on the shoulder.  
  
"Pleased you could be here, Michael."  
  
"Mell Scalzi, sir," she grinned at him. Mr. Wonka raised his arms, pointing towards the door, grinning.  
  
"Rock on Mell!" Her jaw dropped. She turned and walked towards Sara.  
  
"This guy is cool!" I heard her say excitedly.  
  
"Ann Victor, Mr. Wonka," I smiled up at him.  
  
"Charmed, charmed," he smiled back and showed me on. Last was Augustus Gloop, who was eating a powered donut.  
  
"Augustus! Save some room for later!" his mother scolded and took the donut and ate it herself as they passed through.  
  
"All right, we have everyone? Yes. Onward!" Mr. Wonka marched us up the red carpet to what promised to be a really cool adventure. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
We walked on through a hallway into what looked like a cloakroom. There were hooks shaped like hands on the opposite wall and a little platform with a huge contract thingy hanging above it. The writing got so small that by the time you read to the bottom, it was impossible to comprehend. There were feather quills resting in cups near it.  
  
We were told to hang our coats on the hooks. I nonchalantly hung my blazer on a hook and gasped as the "hand" hook grabbed it. There were several screams.  
  
"There are surprises around every corner but nothing dangerous!" Mr. Wonka hurriedly assured us. Nobody really seemed sure of this.  
  
"Now everyone gather round here. Just a little contract, not responsible for any accidents, etc. etc."  
  
"A contract!" Mr. Beauregarde exclaimed, "Listen mister, I know all about contracts being a car salesman and I don't sign anything I can't read!"  
  
"Who would like to be first?" Mr. Wonka went on, as is he hadn't heard him.  
  
"I'll go first!" Veruca stepped up.  
  
"Now Veruca, sweetheart, I really don't think-  
  
"I'm going to sign it and don't you dare stop me!" she spun around and shouted at her father. I raised my eyebrows.  
  
"Now that's a girl who knows where she's going," Mr. Wonka commented. We filed in a line and each signed.  
  
"Now, onward! We have so much time and so little to do!" Mr. Wonka exclaimed. We stared blankly at him, "Sorry, strike that. Switch it."  
  
He led us down another hallway and through a door to a strange room. It was long and narrow and the walls, floor and ceiling were zebra-print. We could barely fit in all together. Chaos erupted.  
  
"Hey, where's the other door?"  
  
"Somebody's touching me!"  
  
"What is this, some type of fun house?"  
  
"Why, are you having fun?" Mr. Wonka turned.  
  
"Where's the other door, Mr. Wonka?" someone asked.  
  
"Well, I'm sure there must be a door somewhere!" Mr. Wonka said, puzzled over the shouting. I was pushed into Mell and she bumped into Mike tripping over Sara.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Ah, here's the door!" Mr. Wonka pushed through and grabbed the handle.  
  
"What are ya talking about Wonka?" Mr. Beauregarde said.  
  
"Yeah, we just came through there!" Mr. Salt protested.  
  
"Really? Are you sure?" Mr. Wonka pushed the door open and there was a different hallway. It was longer and there were several doors on each side. There was a chorus of gasps and "ohh's" and "ahh's."  
  
"Come on, Violet, we're getting out of here!" Mr. Beauregarde said.  
  
"Oh, you can't go back," Mr. Wonka walked forward a little, "You have to go forwards to go backwards."  
  
Confused, we slowly wandered down the hallway following Mr. Wonka.  
  
"Hey, the hall's getting smaller!" someone exclaimed.  
  
"No it's not, he's getting bigger!" someone else answered.  
  
It did look as if the hallway was getting smaller...or he was getting bigger.well, either or, he stopped, ducking under the ceiling and pushed a button somewhere on the door at the end of the hallway. We all ducked in around him, watching anxiously. A little keyboard flipped out from the door. I looked around, as there were several gasps.  
  
"Musical lock," he explained as Mr. Wonka put his fingers to the keys and played a little tune.  
  
"Rachmaninoff," Mrs. TeeVee murmured, smiling. I grinned in her direction. I liked this lady. Mike shifted impatiently behind me.  
  
"Beyond this door is the main area of the factory. Everything inside is eatable-I mean edible. I mean you can eat everything inside! At least I think you can.almost everything." He smiled at us, "You're going to like this. I know you will. Ladies and gentlemen.(he slowly opened the door).the Chocolate Room," he finished in a whisper.  
  
We walked warily through the door and all of a sudden, music started playing from out of nowhere. I gave an incredulous look to Mell who was standing next to me. She raised her eyebrows.  
  
As the music gradually grew louder, I gaped open-mouthed at the room we had just entered. It was like a little park made out of candy. No, it was like Heaven on Earth. There was a giant waterfall in one corner that splashed into what looked like a chocolate pool. I shook out of my reverie when Mr. Wonka started singing.  
  
"Come with me and you'll be, In a world of pure imagination."  
  
I gasped with delight. Cool! I mouthed to Mike. He grinned with excitement. The group pushed forward to try and get past Mr. Wonka to the mouth- watering treats, but he wouldn't let us.  
  
"We'll begin with a spin, Traveling in a world of my creation, What we'll see will defy.explanation."  
  
I bounced on the balls of my feet. We've never been in a musical adventure before. I looked over at Mell and she was singing along.  
  
"Guess ya didn't need Rivers on this trip," I hissed at her.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Your CD player!"  
  
She giggled, "Oh yeah! I was actually listening to him before we left. I don't think I ever turned him off."  
  
I laughed and bumped into Veruca in front of me. She turned around and gave us a look. Mell stuck her tongue out. I silenced them both and told them to listen.  
  
"This is my favorite part!"  
  
"If you want to view paradise, Simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Want to change to the world? There's nothing to it."  
  
I sighed with satisfaction. The music changed and Mr. Wonka turned around, smiled at us and slowly bowed. Everyone ran past him as if it were a race. Having not eaten since the candy bar yesterday, I pushed Veruca out of the way and made my way to a tree that rained Skittles or something. I jumped up, waving my arms, trying to knock them down. Mike walked past me and raised an arm casually. The branch bent down and a whole bunch of Skittles came raining down.  
  
"Thanks!" I yelled to him. He raised his arm again in "your welcome" as he sat by a huge pumpkin thing that was filled to the brim with chocolate. As I picked out the red ones, I listened to the "background" music. It was so cool. It really was like a movie. I sat in the artificial grass and watched everyone scramble around.  
  
Mr. Beauregarde was biting through a huge Twizzler. Veruca was helping Mike finish off the chocolate pumpkin thing. Mell and Sara were fighting over a giant lollipop as big as Mike. Violet was off in the corner chewing something. Mrs. TeeVee was licking her fingers and Charlie and his grandpa were sharing the other giant lollipop. Mr. Wonka was still singing, watching everyone with a pleasant look on his face. He sat down and drank tea out of a buttercup.  
  
"If you want to view paradise, Simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Want to change the world? There's nothing to it."  
  
I smiled, thinking it was paradise.that is, if I didn't go home fat.  
  
"All right everyone, gather over here!" Mr. Wonka beckoned everyone towards the chocolate river. 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
"No other factory in the world mixes their chocolate by waterfall. But it's the only way if you want it just.right," Mr. Wonka explained about the majestic waterfall. I watched, mesmerized, as the chocolate poured down into the chocolate river, which floated into a dark tunnel.  
  
"Hey, look over there!" Violet pointed across the river.  
  
"They're little men!" Charlie gasped to his grandpa.  
  
"Actually, they're Oompa-Loompas," Mr. Wonka said. I looked over to the other bank.  
  
There were little men with bright orange faces and purple hair. They wore white shirts with bright green overalls. They were carrying huge sacks of sugar into a small door in the wall.  
  
"God, those are the ugliest things I've ever seen!" Mike hissed in my ear.  
  
"Shh!" I hissed, but I had to admit, they weren't the prettiest things to look at.  
  
"Where do they come from?"  
  
"Oompa Loompa Land of course," Mr. Wonka said. "Excuse me, Mr. Wonka," Mrs. TeeVee interrupted, "But I am a teacher of geography and- "Ah! Well then you'll know all about it and a horrible place it was and with the poor little oompa loompa's with no where to go. So I brought them here to safety to work at my factory." Mrs. TeeVee stared at him blankly.  
  
"Hey Grandpa! Look at Augustus!" I heard Charlie say. We all spun around to see Augustus taking handfuls of chocolate from the river.  
  
"Oh please, Augustus stop!" Mr. Wonka rushed over, "My chocolate must never be touched human hands!"  
  
He ran up behind him as Augustus slipped and fell into the river. His mother shouted and ran towards the bank. Mr. Wonka put his hands to his face.  
  
"He cannot swim!" Mrs. Gloop shrieked. Mr. Wonka just stood there. The group watched fearfully as bubbles traveled towards the big chute that was sucking up chocolate.  
  
Violet gasped, "He's gonna get stuck up there!"  
  
"Help him Mr. Wonka!" Mrs. Gloop waved her hands wildly.  
  
"Help, police, murder," Mr. Wonka said calmly. She looked at him shocked and covered her mouth as she watched her son get sucked up the tube of chocolate.  
  
"He's stuck!" someone shouted. We could see Augustus' head screaming in the tube.  
  
"He's clogging up the tube," I said.  
  
"The tension is incredible. I hope it lasts," Mr. Wonka muttered. We all watched in silence.  
  
"He's gonna fly outta there like a shotgun," Charlie's grandpa whispered.  
  
All of a sudden, there was a popping noise and Augustus was there for a split second and then he disappeared. I stared open-mouthed.  
  
"What have you done with my son?" Mrs. Gloop raised her hands in horror and made her way hurriedly in front of Wonka. I covered my mouth and tried desperately not to laugh.  
  
"Not to worry my dear, he's just on his way to the fudge room."  
  
Mrs. Gloop looked up at him in disbelief. "What? He'll be squeezed into marshmallows in five seconds!"  
  
Mr. Wonka took out a whistle and played a short little tune and an Oompa- Loompa came running. Mr. Wonka leaned down to whisper something in the little orange man's ear.  
  
"Just take Mrs. Gloop to the fudge room. Don't worry Mrs. Gloop, just follow him. Au revoir, goodbye, aufweieder-sehn, adieu, farewell."  
  
He faded away and watched the Oompa-Loompa take a fainting Mrs. Gloop away.  
  
I exhaled, and turned to my friends. They were all staring wide-eyed at the tunnel.  
  
Mr. Wonka had moved towards the bank of the river as a beautiful ferryboat emerged from the depths of the tunnel.  
  
"Wow," I murmured.  
  
"I want one of those, Piano Ann, give me one of those now!" Mell mimicked in my ear. I snickered as Veruca glared at Mell.  
  
"Everyone climb on," Mr. Wonka. Sara climbed on first and hurriedly saved us seats. Mike walked dizzily onto the boat and sat beside me.  
  
"What's the matter?" I stared at his white face, making his freckles stand out.  
  
"M-motion sickness." he muttered, leaning back. Mr. Wonka walked over and handed im something.  
  
"Here, this is just the thing for upset stomachs. And after you chew it, you're able to spit in seven different colors."  
  
Violet turned around with her finger up her nose. "Spitting's a dirty habit," she scolded.  
  
"I know a worse one." Mr. Wonka stared seriously at her. Violet turned back around, completely oblivious while us girls giggled.  
  
"Everyone ready? Ready, let's go!"  
  
Everyone began talking amongst themselves as Mr. Wonka murmured things above conversation.  
  
" 'All I ask is a tall ship and a star to sail 'er by'," he smiled at us.  
  
"I want a boat just like this one, Daddy, except maybe in pink," Veruca said defiantly to her father behind us.  
  
Mell gagged towards Sara and Sara made a face. I giggled and sat back as Mike leaned over the side.  
  
"Still sick?" I asked concerned.  
  
He giggled. "No, I can spit in rainbow colors!" He hacked up a big wad and spat at the grass. It was an orange-y shade.  
  
"Ech," I made a face. All of a sudden, the boat turned and we made way for the dark tunnel.  
  
"Hey, where's this boat taking us?" Mr. Beauregarde shouted at Mr. Wonka. Mr. Wonka just grinned nonchalantly at Violet's father as he sat calmly at the front.  
  
"Hey, I don't want to go in there!"  
  
"Daddy, don't let him take us in there!"  
  
Everyone started shouting and I myself started getting the shivers as the boat floated through the chocolate towards the darkness of the tunnel. 


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
  
The boat slowly made its way to the mouth of the tunnel. I gulped as we were swallowed into darkness. Mr. Wonka sat calmly in front of us.  
  
All of a sudden, it was pitch black and I couldn't see Mike sitting next to me. I only knew he was there at all because I felt his elbow brushing my sleeve. The only sound was the murmuring of the water and the frightened whispers of the people around me.  
  
The walls were suddenly illuminated with scenes more disgusting and revolting than I had imagined. I heard Mell squirm in front of me as a picture of a slug crawling over a man's nose and cheek. I gagged and clamped a hand over my eyes as a scene of a chicken's head being cut off flashed next to me.  
  
The boat's speed was increasing and as the colors of the scenes lit up the boat, I could see Mr. Wonka's face with a crazy, insane expression through my fingers. I gasped, curling up in my chair, covering my face on my knees. The boat was going so fast, I had no idea where we were going and everything around me was spinning. I squeezed my eyes shut, dizziness was overcoming me. There were screams and Mr. Wonka's yelling voice seemed miles away. The flashes of color kept coming, it didn't feel like the boat was moving at all because it was going so fast. At any moment, I swore the boat was going to explode and we were all going to.  
  
Just as suddenly, everything stopped. It was silent. I stopped breathing, unsure of what might come next and slowly sat up. Mell was crouched over on her seat and Sara was clutching her face. Mike was hugging his knees next to me. There was a brief silence.  
  
"Well, we're here," Mr. Wonka smiled at us. Slowly and kind of in a trance, we got up and filed out of the boat onto a platform to the right.  
  
"Daddy, I don't want a boat like this one," Veruca said very assuredly. Mr. Salt leaned over to Mr. Beauregarde.  
  
"Thank Heavens for that," he muttered. Mell and I giggled. Mr. Wonka led us through a door and down a hallway a bit.  
  
"Wait, hold on, must show you this," Mr. Wonka stopped us and pointed to the wall, "Lickable wallpaper for nursery walls. Try it. Lick a apple, it tastes like an apple. Try a banana, it tastes like a banana. The strawberries taste like strawberries. The snozzberries taste like snozzberries."  
  
"Snozzberry? Who's ever heard of a snozzberry?" Veruca spat.  
  
"I have," the four of us answered at the same time. Mr. Wonka looked at us and winked. He turned to Veruca and stopped her midway to licking a melon. Her tongue was sticking out as she stared at him haughtily.  
  
"We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams," Mr. Wonka stared seriously at her.  
  
"Shall we roll on?" he continued at the rest of us who were staring uncomfortably. We walked down the rest of the hallway, stopping at a set of double doors. Mr. Wonka faced us, holding the doorknobs behind his back.  
  
"Behind these doors is the mixing room. Some of my most secret recipes are being concocted in here and I must ask you not to repeat anything you see to anyone. Do you understand?"  
  
The children all nodded. Mr. Wonka seemed unconvinced, but he turned and opened the doors.  
  
Inside were the most amazing machines I've ever seen. There were whirring sounds in the corner of the room and everywhere you turned there was either an Oompa-Loompa, or stacks of boxes of ingredients, or huge strange-looking machines. Each candy-making machine was different. One had a bike attached for stirring. Another in the corner was big and round with a shelf of several large plates filled with steaming things. Oompa-Loompas were everywhere.  
  
"This is the coolest place we've been yet," Mike muttered to Sara, Mell and me.  
  
"I kinda preferred Baker Street myself," Sara replied.  
  
"But what about Shrek?" I asked.  
  
"I have one word to say: Weezer," Mell argued.  
  
"Hey, don't we know that Oompa-Loompa?" Mike nodded to something behind me.  
  
"What do you mean, 'do we know that Oompa'." I started, but didn't finish as I turned around. A boy dressed in an Oompa-Loompa outfit was stacking boxes in the corner and humming to himself.  
  
"It's Frodo!" I hissed eagerly to Sara and Mell.  
  
"He's so hot!" Mell hissed back, giggling. Sara laughed aloud. Mike just laughed at our reaction.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked confused.  
  
"Don't bother asking," I blurted out between giggles.  
  
"Hey ladies and gentleman over there, come join us over here, I'm going to show you something," Mr. Wonka called over the crowd in front of a machine.  
  
We walked over, sneaking glances at 'Frodo' in the back.  
  
"This is my most secret recipe.it's still being worked on, it's called the Ever-Lasting Gobstopper."  
  
Veruca and Violet glanced at each other. Charlie looked up at his grandpa.  
  
"I want to try one!" Veruca spoke up. Mr. Wonka looked around.  
  
"Does everyone want one?" he asked. Everyone nodded eagerly. Mr. Wonka handed out strange-colored candies to everyone.  
  
"Hey, she's got two!" Veruca burst out to Violet.  
  
"I do not, you nitwit!" she spat back.  
  
"Shut up!" Mell shouted over them, glaring. They glared back.  
  
"Everyone has one and one is enough for anyone!" Mr. Wonka broke the argument.  
  
"Let's continue." and he took us walking off to another area of the room, far from 'Frodo.' 


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six  
  
"Now here is what I've been working on for quite some time now," Mr. Wonka was saying. I nudged Sara and we turned from Frodo, who was leaving with a pile of boxes, to gaze wide-eyed at the machine in front of us.  
  
It was really disgusting actually. One part of the huge metal machine was smashing tomatoes. Another had a mechanical hive with bees swarming around making honey. Yet another part had a bowl of something that looked like chicken and yet another had a bowl of blueberries, where a robotic arm was adding sugar and flour.  
  
"What does it do?" Charlie asked.  
  
"Well, I'll show you," Mr. Wonka smiled, "Just need to find the 'on' button."  
  
"It's right there," Mike pointed to a tiny red button on the side near the tomatoes.  
  
"Ah, so it is, you may do the honors." Mike raised his eyebrows and grinned, pressing the button.  
  
The machine started making whirring noises and the robot arms started moving faster. Mike walked back next to me to watch.  
  
"Wasn't that exhilarating?" I teased him at the excitement in his face. He looked down at me and grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Mr. Wonka reached into a tiny box when the machine stopped making noises and pulled out a square piece of something.  
  
"Now what do you think this is?" he asked.  
  
"By gum, it's gum!" Violet cried.  
  
"No, it's actually a five course dinner!" Mr. Wonka looked very pleased with himself. Violet snatched it out of his hand.  
  
"But wait! I'm not quite finished with it!"  
  
"So long as it's gum and that's for me!" Violet was saying. We watched in amazement as she stuffed in her mouth and started chewing.  
  
Mr. Wonka leaned in to our group and whispered to us, shaking his head.  
  
"I've had trouble with this. This last girl I tried this on was just as addicted to gum, perhaps worse, always chewing it. I hope this turns out the way I want it."  
  
We grinned, knowing exactly what he meant and turned to watch Violet.  
  
"Oh wow tomato soup! I can actually feel it running down my throat!" she was exclaiming. Her father was just as into it.  
  
"Hey baby, what's for dessert?" Mr. Beauregarde cheered his daughter on.  
  
"Mmm, blueberry pie!" Violet licked her lips. Something was wrong with her face. It was slowly turning a purplish color. And ever so slowly, she was growing fatter. I covered my mouth in astonishment as Violet turned into her dessert.  
  
"Hey, what's the matter with you?" someone yelled.  
  
"Violet, you're turning violet, Violet!" Mr. Beauregarde's voice cracked as he gaped in horror at the blue girl who was getting too fat for her belt. Finally, the belt just snapped.  
  
"I feel funny!" Violet moaned.  
  
"Fortunately, looks aren't everything," I muttered to Mell. She guffawed and nodded in agreement.  
  
"Happens every time," Mr. Wonka thought aloud, "They all become blueberries."  
  
Four or five oompa-loompas (Frodo not among them) rushed over to Violet and rolled her over on her side.  
  
"Somebody stick her with a pin!"  
  
"Any more air and she'll explode!" Mr. Beauregarde shrieked.  
  
"Oh, that's not air in there," Mr. Wonka told him, "that's juice. They're taking her to the juicing room to be squeezed."  
  
An oompa-loompa took Mr. Beauregarde by the hand and started leading him out of the room after they rolled the five-foot wide Violet through. Her father was whimpering.  
  
"I've got a blueberry for a daughter." His voice echoed down the hall.  
  
"Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow," Mr. Wonka stared seriously after them.  
  
"Well, lots to see. Let's move on, shall we?" He turned to us and motioned for us to follow. We left the room and down a hall, reaching a wide doorway into another huge room with the highest ceiling I've ever seen. A fountain stood in the middle of the room and millions of bubbles floated up into the never-ending ceiling.  
  
"Oh gosh, isn't it high?" Veruca spoke for the first time in a while.  
  
"Darn, I was beginning to like the silence," Mell glared at Veruca. She glared back.  
  
"Fizzy lifting drinks. The gases in these drinks are so uplifting that they lift you right up into the air," Mr. Wonka explained.  
  
"Oh can we try it?" the group pleaded in unison.  
  
"No, I can't let anyone try it yet, still too dangerous."  
  
A chorus of 'please' followed. Mr. Wonka shook his head in earnest.  
  
"No, we have lots more to do anyway. Come let's go."  
  
He walked swiftly out of the room. Charlie and his grandpa lingered in front of our group, waiting for us to pass.  
  
"Oh, don't stay!" I pleaded with them, "You won't win if you do!"  
  
"We were just going to try it," Charlie whispered.  
  
"But you heard what he said," Sara said, "It's still too dangerous."  
  
"Think about it. A whole lifetime of chocolate is on the line," Mell chimed in.  
  
"You wouldn't want to lose that, would you?" Mike asked.  
  
"I suppose not," Charlie's grandpa said, "Come Charlie let's go. Thanks kids."  
  
"No problem."  
  
I went to follow them out the door when Sara pulled me back in.  
  
"Come on guys," I said.  
  
"Ann, did you honestly think we weren't gonna give it a go?"  
  
"Why else do you think we got rid of Charlie and his grandpa?" Mell asked.  
  
"But--" I started, glancing up at the mile high ceiling.  
  
"Three words, Ann. It's our fantasy," Sara said. She grabbed a bottle from the side table and handed it to me.  
  
"You're going first."  
  
"Oh no." I waved my hands.  
  
"Chug it." She pushed it closer to me.  
  
I looked from Mell to Sara and back again. Sighing, I took the bottle. They cheered.  
  
"But just a sip," I said and popped open the top. I took a small sip of the fizzy drink and felt it slide down my throat and make my stomach feel really weird. I handed the bottle to Mell and clutched my stomach. Something pulled from my navel and my feet left the floor.  
  
"Holy--" I started as I lifted gracefully off the floor. I watched Mell take a sip and wipe her mouth on her sleeve. She passed it to Mike, who looked at it tentatively and then took a sip. Sara took it eagerly and brought it to her lips. Almost immediately after putting it down, she floated up with the rest of us.  
  
"Okay, okay, this is really cool," I admitted spinning around, feeling light as a feather.  
  
"Told ya so," Sara and Mell said in unison.  
  
I stuck my tongue out at them and laughed, dipping into a flip. Mell stuck her arm straight over her head with her "Rock on" symbol in her fingers and soared up, her other hand on her hip.  
  
"Hey, Mell wait for us!" Sara cried and pushed herself upward, going faster every minute.  
  
Mike and I followed them laughing. This was so great. Gravity-deprived, full of candy and chocolate, and surrounded by three other grinning friends. We went higher and higher, joking and judging each other's flips and twirls. Actually, Mike won with his back flip.  
  
The higher we floated, the faster we seemed to go. It was only until we were nearing the giant deathly-looking fan that I stopped laughing.  
  
"Uh, guys.?" I stammered.  
  
"What?" Mell was twirling around with Sara and they stopped to look at me.  
  
I pointed up, too frightened to say a word. They raised their heads and we all tried desperately to grab the wall to keep from going higher. But the wall was too slippery and we weren't stopping.  
  
"That's it. We're done for. It's our last fantasy," I whimpered. The fan looked so heavy and it whirred louder and louder. My fingers were inches away from the ceiling and the wind blew my hair into my face.  
  
"HELP!" I screamed. Suddenly, I heard a very loud, distinct belch. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mell slowly sinking down.  
  
"You guys! Burp!" she yelled, sinking lower. Sara let out a big one and slowly followed suit.  
  
"Come on, Mike! Ann, do it!" they cried up at us. I tried, the fan was too close and I was really freaking out now. Then I saw Mike slowly going down.  
  
"Ann, come on, it's your only chance!" they screamed at me. I took a deep breath and forced a burp. My stomach felt less light and I felt my fingers slipping down the wall as I sank.  
  
"It's working!" I shouted down at them, grinning. They smiled up at me. I pulled myself down to my friends and took their hands. We floated down to the ground in one little circle, panting with relief. As my feet touched the floor again, I sighed, extremely tired.  
  
"From now on we keep our feet on the ground."  
  
They nodded in agreement. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven  
  
"I know what you're thinking," Mr. Wonka was saying as Sara, Mell, Mike and I slipped cautiously into the room, taking a place nonchalantly behind the Buckets. Mr. Wonka was pointing to rows of purple cushions, which held several very large geese.  
  
"They can't be real," Mr. Wonka continued, "But they are. And not just eggs, my friends, oh no, no, chocolate eggs. Sell really well come Easter."  
  
"But Easter's over!" Mike TeeVee exclaimed confused.  
  
"Shhh!" Mr. Wonka held a hand over Mike's mouth, "They don't know that. Besides we're trying to get a head start for next year."  
  
These birds were really quite amazing. They were the normal size of a goose with magnificent milky white feathers that just looked as soft as they probably felt. We stood in awe of them. They were laying giant golden eggs. One goose on the left laid one and it was tipped down a small slide onto a scale.  
  
"The good eggs get taken and packaged to be shipped all over the world," Mr. Wonka explained, "But the bad eggs," he pointed to an egg that had just landed on the scale. The scale made a sound like a fire alarm and the egg disappeared, "They go down the chute."  
  
"Hey Daddy, I want a golden goose!" Veruca grabbed her father's arm excitedly.  
  
"All right, all right, we'll get you one when we get home," Mr. Salt patted her head.  
  
"No, no I want one of those!" she whined. Mr. Salt stared at her for a moment before taking out his wallet.  
  
"How much do you want Mr. Wonka?"  
  
"They're not for sale." Mr. Wonka shook his head.  
  
"But I want one now!" Veruca marched up to him, "Gooses, geeses, I want my goose to lay golden eggs for Easter."  
  
She ran around us and music began playing. Veruca climbed up on a table and started singing about everything she wanted. I didn't think it was possible to whine in a song.  
  
"I want a party with roomfuls of laughter, ten thousand tons of ice cream. And I don't get the things I am after.I'm going to scream." Her voice ended in a shout and she jumped off the table, kicking the piles of boxes that held packaging materials, sending the Oompa Loompas scurrying around after her, trying to pick things up. I glanced nervously at Mr. Wonka. Veruca was ruining everything in the room; now she was pulling yards of colored plastic wrap from their rolls and running around in circles with it. But Mr. Wonka just stood there, calmly, with his hands folded in front of him.  
  
Veruca climbed up onto one of the scales for her big finish, "I WANT IT NOW!" The scale made that big fire alarm sound and all of a sudden, Veruca just wasn't there. Her voice echoed in the silence as we stared in amazement at the spot where she had just been. Mell broke the silence. She chuckled.  
  
"Oh my God," she giggled, trying to stifle her laughter. Mr. Salt recovered from his state of shock and ran up to Mr. Wonka.  
  
"Where'd she go?" he asked, almost laughing with shock.  
  
"Down the garbage chute," Mr. Wonka said without expression.  
  
"The garbage chute?" Mr. Salt repeated. Mr. Wonka nodded.  
  
"Where does that lead?" he asked.  
  
"The furnace," Mr. Wonka answered impatiently. Mr. Salt laughed in disbelief.  
  
"The furnace?" Again Mr. Wonka nodded. Mr. Salt ran up to the scale and dived headfirst in the chute, screaming, "Veruca! I'm coming sweetheart!"  
  
"There's going to be a lot of garbage today," Mr. Wonka shook his head. We stared at him, unsure of what he was going to do next. He turned to us, smiled and waved his hand towards the door.  
  
"Shall we?"  
  
We walked silently behind him until he reached the handle.  
  
"Three bad little children gone, six good little children left," Mr. Wonka smiled at us. I locked eyes with him for a split second until he turned and walked through the doorway. I glanced guiltily at Mell and Sara and they raised their eyebrows at me. The four of us stayed together behind everyone.  
  
We entered a room where there was what looked like a huge truck or bus or some sort of vehicle. It had strange gold pipes running along the sides of it and weird-looking spouts at the end of each pipe.  
  
"Thought we'd take a load off our feet for a while," Mr. Wonka climbed into the driver's seat, which was smack in the middle of the contraption.  
  
"What is this thing?" Mell asked.  
  
"It's the Wonka vehicle. Runs on carbonated drinks, ginger ale, ginger pop, ginger beer, you name it. Everybody climb in!"  
  
"After you," Charlie let me on first and then Sara and Mell and Mike. He climbed in behind us, with barely enough room beside his grandpa.  
  
"Hey you guys," I leaned in to my friends, "Let's let them win the chocolate. They need it more than we do."  
  
"Well." Mell scrunched up her face, thinking about it.  
  
"Besides what are we gonna do when we go home with a lifetime supply of chocolate?"  
  
"Lots of things!" Mike exclaimed.  
  
"And also, what will our parents think? That'll be in interesting greeting. 'Hey Mom, look what I brought home. We won't have room to live in our house anymore, but hey, I won it'." I added, "It'll be a true adventure and we'll truly be the heroes." I stopped thinking about what I had just said, "In a manner of speaking."  
  
"Giving up a lifetime supply of chocolate will make us heroes?" Mike asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"It's for the greater good," Sara agreed with me, reluctantly, "It's true, look at them, gave us the seats and now they have no room back there. And they're so poor."  
  
"Ok ok," Mike threw up his hands, "Whatever."  
  
"Thank you Mike," I grinned at him. He gave me a fake smile and sat back in his seat. Then the vehicle started to move. I was jolted back as it moved at an alarming pace down the wide hall.  
  
Something was stirring up inside the machine. I could feel it. The pipes clanged and made strange popping noises and all of a sudden, a golden spout in front of me overflowed with white foam, pouring all over my feet up to my knees.  
  
"Ewww," I cried, sticking my hands in front of it to try and stop it, but now it was all over my hands. I could hear screams from Mrs. TeeVee sitting in the front.  
  
I looked over at Sara sitting next to me. She was covered in the white foam and laughing as she blew some off her nose. It seemed Mr. Wonka had over- stocked the ginger beer and ginger ale and whatever else was in this thing.  
  
We were driving closer to an archway and as we went through it, something weird happened. A squeaking noise screamed in my ears and I closed my eyes. I suddenly felt clean and light. I opened my eyes again and saw that all that white foam stuff was gone. My clothes were just as clean as before I got on the Wonka vehicle.  
  
"What was that we just went through?" Charlie asked from behind.  
  
"Hsaw aknow," Mr. Wonka answered, climbing down from the driver's seat.  
  
"Is that Japanese?" Mrs. TeeVee asked confused as Mr. Wonka gave her helping hand down from her seat.  
  
"Nope. It's Wonka Wash spelled backwards."  
  
"Can we do that again?" Mell asked excitedly.  
  
"I'm sorry, but we have no time." Mr. Wonka pushed open a door on the left, "Must press on." 


End file.
